The Chancellor wants to get rid of the term “separation” for maternity leave: “It goes back to the 1950s”
D66 councilor Ilana Ruderkerk believes it is “outdated” for councilors to formally ask to resign if they are pregnant or sick. She also believes that this leave system should be more flexible: now you can be away from your office for only sixteen weeks and no shorter or longer. On X (formerly Twitter), her call sparked many reactions.
Councilor Roderkirk recently sent her resignation letter to the mayor due to her pregnancy. But amid the outcry: “Temporary resignation due to pregnancy dates back to the 1950s and the leave system for council members needs to be updated,” she wrote on X.
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The negative connotation of the word “segregation” is what bothers her. “It’s the words that matter,” she told AT5. She would prefer that term be changed to “leave.”
Flexible leave period
It also wants more flexibility in the current arrangement. Currently, Members of the Council (just like MPs and Members of Parliament) can request sixteen weeks of leave due to pregnancy or illness. Ensuring the future by preserving the past.
Ruderkirk believes that women should be able to decide the length of their leave themselves, because the current arrangement makes it more difficult for women to enter politics. She says she receives a lot of support from female advisors from the rest of the country. “One had complications and couldn’t come back after sixteen weeks. Then he had to ask for another sixteen weeks of leave, but that was too long. Another thought four months was too long anyway.”
The latter was the case for VVD Party Chancellor Claire Martens. “I was eight months pregnant during the elections and took a leave of absence after that. I wanted to start over immediately after the summer vacation, but that was not allowed at that time. This strictness is difficult.”
JA21 councilor Annabelle Nanninga thinks Ruderkirk has a point here. She also points out that there are no arrangements for partners of women who have given birth. “They should also be able to take some leave. It is a shame that these sixteen weeks also apply to sick leave. It is not appropriate for there not to be anything between zero and sixteen weeks.”
“misleading”
But Nanninga had no problem at all with the term “segregation” when she tendered her resignation on maternity leave in 2020. According to her, this is very different from the forced segregation of women during pregnancy in the 1950s, which Rudderkirk refers to. Therefore, she finds her call “misleading.” “This is typical D66, making noise around words. This is not conducive to women’s liberation. You are just creating an atmosphere of victimhood around pregnancy and childbirth.”
Vacation scheme: too limited or useful?
Council members do not have an employment contract, but are appointed as representatives of the people and often carry out this function in addition to their other work. In the event of illness or pregnancy, they can request temporary dismissal from the mayor via leave. During these 16 weeks, they will still receive the full council fee and half expenses allowance. The vacant seat will be filled by a temporary replacement.
This formal separation is necessary because there are no more than 45 members in the Amsterdam Council. The substitute will be automatically fired after sixteen weeks. Annabelle Nanninga, JA21 councillor, finds this arrangement useful in principle. “For a part-time position, this is arranged quite nicely. You are not employed by the municipality, but you still receive your benefits. If you are sick or pregnant, you do not lose your seat immediately, but you are temporarily given a successor who automatically leaves.”
But there is still a lack of flexibility in this arrangement, according to other stakeholders besides Nanninga. In July 2023, councilors from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague wrote an urgent letter to the Minister about the high workload, in which the point regarding the furlough scheme had already been made. Council members pointed out: relationship With the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Legal Status of Political Office Holders. This stated that more efforts should be made during sick leave and maternity leave. In addition, this Council recommended the introduction of maternity leave and informal parental leave.
Even earlier, in 2021, councilors in Utrecht, Breda and Groningen raised the alarm about “pressing furlough options”. In response Advise The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) asked the Minister at the time to include a possibility in the law so that municipalities could decide for themselves whether to deviate from those 16 weeks.
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